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Alex Murdaugh Seemed 'Upset' But Didn't Shed Any Tears After Finding His Wife And Son's Bodies, Law Enforcement Witness Says
Alex Murdaugh broke down in tears Thursday in court as law enforcement officials took the stand to describe the grisly details surrounding the murders or Paul and Maggie Murdaugh.
Alex Murdaugh broke down in court Thursday as police described the gruesome details of his wife and son’s murders—but the disgraced legal scion was tear-free the night of the murders, according to law enforcement testimony.
Murdaugh is accused of killing his family members the night of June 7, 2021.
Colleton County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Daniel Greene took the stand to describe finding Maggie, 52, and Paul, 22, face down in pools of blood and “brain matter,” according to The Daily Beast.
Paul was struck by a shotgun blast that blew his head apart, leaving his brain by his feet, while Maggie had a large hole in her head from a rifle shot, The Post and Courier reports.
Murdaugh was seen at the defense table with his head down and crying as the grisly details were described.
The details of the crime were so graphic that prosecutors and defense attorneys agreed that the images and body-cam footage gathered from the scene was shown only to the jury. The public and media were allowed to hear the audio from the footage.
Greene and other first responders testified that on the night of June 7, 2021, that Murdaugh asked whether his son and wife were dead, although it was obvious that they were given their injuries.
Greene described Murdaugh, who had no visible signs of blood on his clothing, as appearing “nervous, anxious and upset” after officers arrived at the scene.
“[Alex Murdaugh] was upset but I did not see any visible tears,” Green said, according to The Daily Beast.
Jurors also heard the unredacted 911 call Murdaugh placed that night around 10:07 p.m.
A frantic Murdaugh can be heard telling the dispatcher that there was “blood everywhere,” The Greenville News reports.
When asked whether it was possible that Maggie and Paul had killed themselves, he replied “Oh no, hell no!”
In another 911 call, he told the dispatcher that he last spoke to Maggie in person about an hour and a half or two hours before making the grisly discovery and brought up the theory that the deaths may have been linked to a 2019 fatal boat crash.
At the time of his death, Paul had been facing criminal charges for allegedly operating a boat while intoxicated that crashed and killed 19-year-old Mallory Beach.
“My son has been threatened for months and months and months,” he said. “He’s been hit several times.”
He also told the dispatcher he planned to go to his house “to get a gun, just in case,” according to media reports.
When first responders arrived at the scene, Murdaugh again brought up the idea that the deaths could have been linked to the boat crash.
“This is a long story. My son was in a boat wreck months back. He’s been getting threats. … I know that’s what it is,” Murdaugh said in the bodycam footage.
He also referenced his own activities that night, telling officers on the scene that he had been visiting his ailing mother before discovering the bodies.
“I was probably gone an hour and half for my mom’s and I probably saw them 45 minutes before that,” Murdaugh said, according to local station WJCL.
Prosecutors dispute Murdaugh's timeline. In his opening statements, Prosecutor Creighton Waters told jurors that Paul had sent a Snapchat video of a dog to a friend at 8:44 p.m. the evening of the murders, People reports.
In the background of the video, Alex and Maggie’s voices could be heard. Less than five minutes later, both Maggie and Paul’s phones locked and prosecutors believe the mother and son were likely killed.
The timeline discrepancy was not addressed Thursday in court.
Murdaugh’s defense attorney Dick Harpootlian focused most of the day on pointing out potential mistakes made by police crime scene investigators the night of the double homicide.
Witnesses testified that there were fresh tire tracks at the scene that investigators did not preserve.
“So if someone had come in and left, [someone] who committed the murders, whatever tire tracks left were obliterated by your men. Is that right?” Harpootlian asked, according to WJCL.
The witness replied that it was “possible.”
Harpootlian also asked sheriff’s deputies about why they walked through the bloody crime scene, suggesting that any bloody footprints found could have been from deputies themselves.
The trial will continue Friday.
